San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-02-02

Indorsers, and on one-the application
of one Judge Slaughter-he found as an
indorser the name of Walter q. Ores
ham. IL guess that's enough" mutter.
ed Grant. II Gresham will take that
place he shall have il, and I'll 'Slaught-
err the rest" Aud with that effort at a
joke Grant turned down the key on his
midnight oil and went TO bed.
Judge Gresham continued on the dis.
trict bench until 1882. Then as sudden
" as the change came before, and fully
as Unexpectedly, President Arthur in.
vitcd him to his cabinet. The story Is
told that he was holding court at the
time at indianapolis, and that boy
brought him dispatch. Ii revealed,
Arthur has appointed you postmaster
general What shall say for your"
The Judge read the thing over on the
bench, and calling the boy gave il back,
and said softly, Il think you or your
manager must have made a mistake.
am quite sure this is not for me But il
is an important dispatch. Take it right
back tO your manager, and tell him that
! think there must be mistake. Don't
show the dispatch to anybody. and be
sure and don't lose It," And then the
Judge gave the boy 10 cents. The tele-
graph manager laughed, and sent per-
sonal message to say that there was no
mistake-he (Gresham) had been made
postmaster. general. Then the Judge ad.
journed court and concluded to think il
over. The world knows the result. The
story is only told to illustrate how often
the unexpected hits us hardest
Postmaster General Gresham was one
of the most original and valued members
of Arthurs Cabinet. He was a reformer
in esse; lie went down to the mail-bags
and raised Satan's delight with the rail.
way weights. He instituted innovations
which electrified the barnacles Of the
circumlOCutiOn department. In October,
1884, Gresham began tO get restless I'M
der the strain of executive OlliCe-the
exactions of place. lie said to Arthur
that the hard work of The Post Office
Department was not cungenial or taste
full. Arthur said: Take the Treasury
portfolio-if only for few weeks
Drummond is going to retire, and you
shall have that Judgcship if you will
take it."
That determined Mr.. Gresham. He
was made Secretary of the Treasury for
few weeks, and upon Judge Drum
mond's retirement he was appointed his
successor.
Judge Gresham is a fineloOking man,
but one needs to look at him awhile to
discover it. He has u fine head-a lux
uriant shock of steel-tinted hair, a pair
of piercing black eyes, and pleasant
smile. But he is careless of dress, lit
tie round shOuldered. tonsorially neglI-
gent, and has anything but the look of a
Brigadier in the shock of battle. His
favorite attitude in court is with one
foot up on the corner of his desk, his
body swung back in a chair, his eyes
half closed, and the Thumb and forefin-
ger of his right hand toying with his
knife. lie can sit for hours and open
and snap the blade. and never move an
other muscle. Lawyers may talk-law-
yers' jaws may swing and move and wag
and heave hour after hOur-the Judges
eyes are closed, and his knife goes on
with its click. Presently: What was
that authority So and so. says the
attorney, surprised that he has been even
heard. "Thanksl Go on, sir" And
then the eyes close again, and the pen
knife clicks on the measure of time as
before
Judge Gresham was never considered
an enormously successful lawyer. If he
had been he would not. have been a
Judge, for successful practitioners rarely
take Judgeships. But he has a fine ju-
dicial mind, clear-cut understanding,
and the courage of the bOldest convic-
tiOns. When he and Judge Harlan split
on the MaCkin case, which had the effect
of sending the question to the Supreme
Court of whether an information" was
sufficient in criminal case, everybody
knew on which side Gresham went. He
upheld the right of indictment by
grand jury, and the Supreme Court sus-
tanned him. So with these railroad cases.
1t doesn't make "A particle of difference
what may be the material or personal re-
suits of his decisiOn-right and equity
govern. Judge Gresham is to-day re-
garded as one OF the foremost men of
the West--a man whose name will ever
be hOnOred. whether the man be reserv-
ed for greater distinction or not.-Chi-
cago Tribune.